Long Form

Find out which nordic nation radically cut teenage smoking, drinking and drug use and how they did it.

A stockout of the version of testosterone (made by Pfizer) used by state facilities and nonprofits is entering its second year. It’s left transgender men in South Africa, who use the hormone as part of gender-affirming treatment, with few options. Find out what lengths they’re forced to go to get the medicine.

A new mother recounts how psychiatric care that nurtured her bond with her baby helped heal her mania.

Girls as young as 10 feel the blade but an extraordinary group is fighting against female genital mutilation (FGM).

Speaking more than one language could lead to better tests scores and even being a more empathetic person.

Women who have been forced to go without their usual birth control shot are now facing the consequences of months-long shortages.

Some small-scale black tobacco farmers in Limpopo feel that the tobacco industry supported them under the guise of an upliftment programme, but then used them to fight against illicit tobacco trade. By 2021, the financial support dried up.

Go inside the international network of women willing to break the law to give people access to termination of pregnancy services.

South Africa is rushing to roll out its first national gender-based violence action plan. But as bureaucracy and the coronavirus pandemic stall progress, violence against women continues unabated. And the hot spots that will receive extra resources, it seems, have been wrongly identified.

South African jails are making notable strides in screening for, and curing, tuberculosis.

As South Africa enters level two of its national lockdown, international travel remains restricted. One of the few exceptions are repatriation flights, which require a mandatory quarantine period. But the toll of mounting stress and isolation may have long-term consequences on people’s mental health.

Specialist doctors at many state facilities aren’t showing up to work despite earning millions of rands a year in taxpayer money. The consequences for patient health can be devastating but not everyone agrees on the solutions.

Where traditional beliefs are more real than textbooks, treating mental illness is a balancing act for sangomas and medical doctors alike.

Refugees can flee their countries, but they can't escape the trauma of war.

Dembe Ndou learned to play piano in no time at all, but simply chatting is a complex challenge.

In the wake of acid attacks, victims — often women — can feel hopeless. Now, women around the world are fighting back.